Laundry-drier.



P. M. WATKINS. o LAUNDRY DRIER.

AP'PLIOATION IILED DBO. 17, 1910.

Patented May 6, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

wow

F. M. WATKINS. LAUNDRY DRIER. APPLICATION FILED DEO.17, 1910.

1,660,891 Patented May 6, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

If. M. WATKINS. LAUNDRY DRIER ABPLIOAIIOH FILED D30. 1'], 1910.

/ a sums-mum a.

Patefited May 6, 1913 To all whom it mag concern:

v ers, of w'hich the following is uNrr-nn s'lrntrnsra'rnn'r ,orrrcn.

v'rnianx M. wa'r'xms, or cmomnarr, omo.

LAunnnY-niunn which creates a partial vacuum therein. l

The object of my invention is to produce a clothes drier which is ada ted to operate more efiiciently, quickly an economically than otherwise, without injuryt the clothes, and one Which'will not scatter the lint in the'room,

but w1ll Withdraw it from the clothes through the machine and discharge it where desired by means of an 3 In other words 1 conditioned by the atmospheric pressure and which the heat exhauster. v f

It should be understood that when water is extracted from clothes by mechanical means in a centrifugal wringer, a large'p rcentageof water remains in the clothes. In. order 'to' extract all of clothes quickly. and efliciently, it is necessary to reduce the moisture ,to. vapor, water or moisture can become vapor, ward pressure of the the downward pressure of the atmosphere.

vaporization" of water is the upwhen, a point is reached at. overcomes the cohesion and the pressure of theatm'osphere, then the waterpasses into the moisture from the but before vapor must overcome 4 vapor and escapes in gaseous form when it rises into space and spreads through it according to the lawsof diffusion of gases.

7 'By placing the wet or moist clothing within a'partial vacuum, wh ere the pressure of the 'air upon'the moist clothing is greatly revacuum, and

shorter space of time and duced, the vaporization quickly and by tumbiing withdrawmg the vapor with art exfiauster the same .Wlll bedried in a with less heat than it is dssible to do-in any other way. It

will take place mbre: the clothes in such.

shoul lso be understood that :a greater amount 'offlheat is required; to; evaporate water under normal atmospher c pressure than Within a partial vacuum where art of such-atmospheric pressure-is rem'ov Specification of Letters Eatent.

M. WATKINS,

broken away. Fig.

be bolted to said casing A perforated rotating cylinder 7 is provided justable by sliding shutter Patented May ,6, 1913.

Application filed Deccmber 17, 191 0. Ser1a11o. 59 7,84=4;

her, a drying chamber connected thereto and means whereby a pa maintained in said chambers.

My invention. also consists in and in the peculiar t-ionand arrangeme'ntof parts as herein set forth and claimed; r.

In the accompanying drawings which serve to illustrate the construction and use of my invention: Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device. Fig., 2 "is an end'elevation, parts being bro-ken away to show the inner chambers and rotating cylinder. 3 is a detail view of the driving mechanism.

the arts invention consists in a heating cham- 7 construction, com ina-.

rtial vacuum is Fig. 4 is a vfront elevation, parts being,

5 is a rear view ofmy improved'drier. Fig. 6' is aide-tail perspective view of one of the perforated ribs in .the rotating cylinder.

In the embodiment of my invention as illustrated and which struction, 1 represents y and 3' the front housing the outer casing of device'supported upon asuitable base 2, \Which is adapted to by means of bolts 4. with journals 6 which are adapted to be mounted" in bearings 5 .at the ends; of-the casing 1' and'front housing 3.

The compartment formed b and the front housing 3 is ivided into a heating chamber 9 and a dryingchamber 10 by'means of avertical partition 8. The heating chamber 9 is provided with heating pipes 11 which are preferably adapted to be heated by steam. Intake openings 12 are provided in the rear of the device and form an-int'ake' for'air to be heated and are admeans of a sliding-shutter 13,

shows a preferred con-.

the casing 1 slidable in tracks or, guide plates 14. The

1% is adapt to be held in any position desired by means of a set screw 15- passing through a slot 16 in said shutter.

The shutter 13 is provided with openings 17 adapted to register with air intake openings 12in the casing 1, so that the amount of-air to be heated can be regulated.

By adjusting thezshuttersover the intake openings 12 so as'not to allow as .much air to pass therethroug'h, it is quite evident that am enabled to produce a more per fect vncu'umim the chambers 9 andlO, due ta the exhauster exhausting theair therefrom and discharging it from its-outlet;

point Where the temperature is the highest the heated air fromthe heating chamber cylinder 7, the plate 19 beingifastened to other end of'the shaft,21. A pinion gear 2 5' 'isrnounted on the shaft 21 and isadapt'ed to ber-l0 as air ti ghta's-possible and allowno air to pass therethrough when the machine tends from the base 2 to the top of the ma- 6 of the rota'ting'cylinder 7. The

"mesh. in order to allow' free passage of the support the journals or trunnions '6 for said cylinder. 'Said cylinder 7 is also provided with a wire mesh door 27 hinged in a'suitaccess to the cylinder 7 for depositing or removing, the* clothes to be dried therein.

l doo'm29hinged at 30, and'isadapted to be ranged at one side of the drying chamber 10 containing the rotating cylinder 7, and exchine. A partition 8 extends upwardly from the base between said heating chamber 9 and said drying chamber 10 to a point close to the top of the machine, thereby separating said chambers and forming'an air passage from the heating chamber 9 .to the drying chamber10. This passage, which is indiof the heating chamber, because that is the in the heating chamber, and the' heat at its highest temperature is discharged'immedi" atelyand Without deterioration into the rotating cylinder for use in drying the clothes.

It is the purpose of the machineto draw through the rotatin cylinder in order to dry the clothes placed therein, andin order to draw the air as close to the center of the rotating cylinder as possible, I provide deflector plates 19 and 19 adjacent the passage 18 and extending into the dr ing chamber 10, to near the periphery of t e rotating the top of the casing, and the plate 19 to the top of the partition 8.'' Thus the-deflector plates 19 and 19 as illustrated are adapted to direct the highly heated air di-- rectly to the center of the rotating cylinder 7 distributing it thoroughlythroug'hout the entire length of cylinder and drying chamber, where it is applied to'us e in drying the clothes;

The rotating cylinder 7 is rotated by means of driving pulley 20, mounted upon shaft 21 on the outside of the machine, the shaft 21 being" supported by *ineans of a bearing 22 mounted putside of the machine, and an' arm 23 carrying bearing 24for the engage and mesh with the ear wheel 26, mounted on one of the journals or t-runnions c linder 7 P is preferably made of wire screen ofacoarse air. therethrough, and it has end plates 7 adapted-to close the ends of the cylinder and able manner at 28 thus providing suitable The front housing3 isalso provided with a closed-in or er that it may make the-chamis in,operation.. The artial vacuum within tition tween the ba thus-coverin v dperator wit lint, In my device, due tov the the 'machine also ten s'tohold said door-8' closed. i Q 7 p vacuum principle;

tatlng wire screen cylinder 7, and unnecesthe buttons, I provide longitudinally extending ribs 35 which have openings 36 therein, said vribs'being fastened to the wire scree'ncylinder atsuitable distances apart. By thus placing the ribs in the rotating cylinder 7 the clothes are carried upwardly by each rib and drop or fall therefromimmediately in front of the succeeding rib, which carries them up again to the same point, whenth'ey drop as before, and soon, thus avoiding the sliding and; shearing fIn order to prevent the clothing from sliding upon the inner surface of the rosarily wearing the clothing and shearing off action which would otherwise occur. These ribs which are disposed longitudinally on the inner surface of the cylinder alsoinsure the thorough and constant tumbling and s'hifting'of position of the clothing within the cylinder, thereby permitting of more thorough and complete circulation of the heated air therethrough for the purpose of drying the clothing. The perforations cause the clothes to adhere to the ribs and thereby carry'the same higher in the cylinder before they drop or are tumbled thereby preventing slipping of the clothes on the wire screen. I prefer to provide a double row of saidopenings 36 arranged in staggeredform. The free edges of said ribs are preferably enlarged as shown to more readily hold the clothes and the'openings 36 also cause the an outlet 31 to which is attachedan ex-.-

hauster 25 of any suitable type, by which hausting or drawlng the air from the heating chamber 9. ,f" a" I yInyorder to, cause the air to thoroughly pass through the cylinder 7 and not around one side thereof, I provide a baflie plate 33 at the bottomfof the heating chamber' 10, having its upper edge fastened to the par-' 8 and slanting downwardl so that its other edge extends .closetd t e *floor of chamber 10 and forms a passage 34 between it and the floor -th'e entirelength of said chamber, thus preventing the air from having'a'direct flplassagelfrom the inlet 18 bee plates 19. and 19 down to the outlet 31.-

ing type when the outer door 29 is opened while the machine is in operation, ablast,

clothing to more readily" adhere to therib t the air and lint .from' the clothes are with-*- -drawn from thedrying chamber, thereby exof hot air; immediately rushes therefrom Carrying lint from the clothing with it, and the floor of the room and the involved, this obiection- I chamber, a perforated able feature is overcome .and'. instead thereis a sudden inrush of air from the room into the machine when the door 29 is opened. The e'xhaus'oer has a tendency to create a 5 strong suction within the cylinder and thereby draws the lint from the-clothes through opening 31 and discharges the same upon the outside of the machme. v A pressure gage 3.7 is preferably provided 0 at the top of the machine and connects with the drying chamber to indicate the at-' mospheric pressure 10. Thus it is seen that an operator by watching the indicating gage 37 and at the same time regulating the shutter 13 over the intakeopenings 12, the vacuum insideof the chamber 19 may be increased or'dimin'ished as desired. a j I When it is desired to operate the machine, 20 heat the pipes 11 by steam or otherwise, a just vthe air intake openings to admit the proper amount of air to be. heated,insert the clot es in cylinder 7 through the doors 29 and 7, then close the -doors and. start the operating mechanism oflthe machine by which the-cylinder isrotated either in 0ne direction or alternately in the reverse d1rec-' exhauster is also tion, and by which the operated, continuing such 'operation until the clothing is drie when the o erating V mechanism is stoppe and the clot ing removed. The partial vacuum in said heating chamber and said drying chamber is readily varied by the speed at which the exhauster is driven, the size of said exhaust; and-by means -of regulating the intake openings situated in the chamber in which the steam pipes are located.

Modifications of my;

v invention may be 0 made without departing from itsspiritjor scope and I do not therefore wish to be confined' to the ticular construction and arrangement ofthe parts, or means of operating same, but What I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is-- 1. A laundry drier comprisinga dying cylinder ada ted to rotate thjerem', an air heating Jcham er-ad jacent said drying chamber, a passage from said air heatin chambe to said drying chamber and cy inder, deflectorlates extending'toward the center of said cylinder, an air outlet for \said. drying cham er, an

'55 exhauster. for said a late extending across the lower part of said rying chamber whereby the air is adapted as be exhausted from said I cylinder through .v "a passage between'said baflle plate and t e' wall of g' amber substantiafly r i i -Witnessesr asset forth. v

2; A laundry drier comprising a I; chamber, a-perforatedcyl nderadapted-to cylinder, and an inside of the chamber for the purposes specified. chamber, a perforated cylinder adapted to heating chamber arranged -dr ing chamber, means :directthe course of inder" therein, a series of perforated. r bs or shearing of the clothes on the surface 0 details shown 'or' to the parchamber inolosingthe same, an exhaust pipe air outlet and a 1 baffle 'rotate in said'drying chamber, a heating chamber having means for admitt-in v air thereto, agpassage from said heatin c amher to said cylinder, a baflle plate orming an elongated passage between ts lower edge and the bottom ofsaid drying chamber to direct the course of the air throu h said air outlet and ex auster therefor substantially as set forth; r 3. A aundry drier "comprising a drying chamber, a perforated cylinder ada ted to rotate in said dryin' chamber, paral e1 perforated ribs 'exten ing longitudinally in said cylinder, a heating chamber, an air passa e from said,heatin chamber to said cylin er, an air -outlet rom said heating '0 amber and cylinder and angexhauster for said air outlet, substantially asset forth and 4, A laundry drier 'comprising a drying rotate m'sald drying chamber, a vvertical adjacent said for admitting air to sa d heating chamber, a passage from said heating chamber at its top to sa d cylinder, a bafileiplate extending fro'nithe wall of said 'dryin chamber downwardly toward the hot- I ereof wherebyan elongated passage is formed between the lower edge of said plate and the bottom ofsaid -drying chamber. to the air through said cylinder and an air outlet and exhaus'ter therefor, substantiallg as set forth;

5, A'laundry drie comprisin a drying chamber,v a perforat d clothes rying cyladapted to carry the; clothes upwardl- 'in said cylinder and to drop them 'directl 'in front of the next.rib to-prevent any sli in the cylinder, a: heating chamber adjacent said cylinder, a passage from said heating I chamber to said 0 linder, an air outlet from said cylinder, an an exhauster for said air v outlet whereby '-'a' partial vacuum is formed withinsaid'heating chamber and said cylinder,"substan tially as-set forth and for the purposes specified.

.6. An exhaust drier embracing a movable receptacle for turning clothes, an exhaust and pump coinmunlcatm with said exhaust chamber, heating cells a aptedto heat. the chamber,'said exhaust chamber havingr an opening therein whereby the .hot air the coils is drawn through and chamber by the exhaust pump,

said receptacle g rat anvs' a'rinusl lx-Jamiis N. RAMS Y, I I I moms Dorm, 

